Doomed BMW was 'speeding at 120kmph', Mumbai coastal road has 80kmph speed limit

The BMW that crashed through the Mumbai coastal road's elevated bridge and plunged 75 feet onto an under-construction parking lot on Sunday morning was allegedly moving at a speed of around 120kmph, police said. The speed was significantly higher than the 80kmph limit on the main carriageway.

Three college students were killed and a fourth was critically injured in the crash near Lotus Jetty, close to Haji Ali, at around 5.20 am, HT reported earlier.

The police are also investigating if alcohol consumption or mechanical failure played a role as they piece together what happened before the BMW lost control while negotiating a curve, broke through the bridge wall and plunged off the bridge.

BMW was ‘speeding at 120kmph’

Tardeo police said the car appeared to be travelling at around 120kmph based on its trajectory after hitting the coastal road's barrier and the momentum with which it was thrown off the elevated section. However, the exact speed will be established during the investigation.

The investigators further added that the Mumbai coastal road has a speed limit of 80kmph on its main carriageway. The limit drops to 60 kmph inside the undersea twin tunnels and to 40 kmph on ramps and curves.

Police said the four occupants were returning from Marine Drive in south Mumbai when the accident took place. A motorist who witnessed the crash informed the police control room.

The incident has also renewed attention on speeding along the coastal road. Police said cars and SUVs, including expensive sports cars, frequently exceed the speed limit on the carriageway, treating the road as a racetrack.

Notably, seven people have died in accidents on the road since it opened in 2024, including the three fatalities in Sunday's crash.

Police said further investigation would establish the circumstances leading to the crash, including the car's exact speed.

Alcohol use, mechanical failure under probe

Police said post-mortem examinations will establish whether the victims had consumed alcohol before the crash.

The Regional Transport Office will examine the wrecked BMW to determine whether mechanical failure or human error contributed to the accident.

A case of accidental death has been registered, while further details are awaited before a First Information Report can be filed.

All four victims were friends

The deceased have been identified as Shanay Gajjar, 21, who was driving the BMW; Aditya Jakasnia, 19; and Dhairya Sheth, 17, who were seated in the back. Aditya Oswal, 20, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, survived the crash but suffered serious injuries.

All four were friends, according to people who knew them. Gajjar and Oswal were students at NMIMS in Juhu, while Jakasnia and Sheth studied at an architecture college in Kurla.

Originally from Ahmedabad, the deceased were living in rented accommodation in Juhu. The BMW was registered in the name of Gajjar's father, a businessman in Gujarat.

Meena Jagtap, senior police inspector at Tardeo police station, said all four occupants were taken to the civic-run Nair Hospital. Gajjar, Jakasnia and Sheth were declared dead on arrival, while Oswal was admitted with multiple injuries in critical condition.

Oswal was later shifted from the trauma ward to the surgical ward.

Medical sources said the deceased suffered severe head trauma, multiple fractures, facial injuries and internal injuries. Doctors said all four occupants had sustained extensive injuries.